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I’ve spent the past four days in Wiesbaden, Germany tasting German Grosses Gewächs wines. While I organize my notes to put here, I’ll put up some recent notes on Muscadet, a highly under-appreciated wine in my opinion.
2020 was a marvelous vintage for Muscadet, but the availability of those wines is now fading, and furthermore as you can see below for Landron’s Les Houx, I’ve not found all the wines of such high quality.
2021 has shown well in previous reviews of wines I’ve had and continues to do so here, but where I’ve had the chance to compare the same wines of 2021 and 2022, as here with a couple of producers, the 2022s showed even better. Moreover, due to severe frosts in 2021, there is very little wine from that vintage available.
Claude BRANGER
2021 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Le Fils des Gras Moutons
I was not a fan of Branger’s 2020 version of this wine because of the sweet finish, but this is much different, and to my taste, better wine. The wine is medium-light in weight and has pleasing mineral salinity and enough acidity to make the wine of interest. The finish is entirely dry. Cork closure. 12% stated alcohol. 89/A-
Les CAVES DE LA NANTAISE
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Les Folies Landiers
This wine is from a mini-cooperative of ten producers, and it does not bear the “sur lie” portion of the appellation, meaning the wine was not aged on the lies. The wine is good, straight-forward Muscadet with salt air aromas mixing with some white fruits in the nose and a medium-weight, round mouth that has good salinity. I’d drink this over the next year or two. Synthetic cork. 11.5% stated alcohol. 87/B
Château la CHEVILLARDIÈRE/Claude-Michel PICHON
2021 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie
This Muscadet is clean and clear with some sea salt flavors, but it is a little too round and lacks a bit of tension to be in my top tier. Synthetic closure. 12% stated alcohol. 87/B
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie
Following on the heels of the fairly standard 2021 is this outstanding 2022, a completely dry wine filled with salinity and good grip and tension. Synthetic closure. 12% stated alcohol. Lot L23085 91/A
Domaine de la FESSARDIÈRE
2021 Muscadet La Mer
Pure, clear, and crystalline with a light-weight body, some grip despite its silky texture, and a fine salinity. Certified organic. Cork closure. 12% stated alcohol. Lot 1322. 90/A
LUNEAU-PAPIN
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Clos du Milieu
This wine is attractive for its silky texture and light minerality, but lacks the crispness, incisiveness, and nervosity of the best Muscadets. Certified organic and biodynamic. DIAM 3 closure. 12% stated alcohol. Lot L23070323. 88/B+
MANOIR DE LA GRELIÈRE/R. BRANGER & Fils
2021 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie vieilles vignes réserve
Year after year this wine from vines between 50 and 100 years-old continues to be a bargain white, and still so in the 2021 vintage which was so catastrophic in quantity in the Muscadet region. The wine is medium-light in weight and crisp, although perhaps with a touch less acidity than usual making for a more elegant wine. It shows typical sea salt and citric aromas and flavors. Cork closure. 11.5% stated alcohol. 90/A
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie vieilles vignes réserve
The 2022 version of this wine has just a bit more acidity and body with plenty of saltiness to go with the crispness. If you want an example of outstanding Muscadet at just a fraction of already-underpriced producers such as Pépière and Luneau-Papin, search this wine out. Cork closure. 12% stated alcohol. 91/A
Jo LANDRON
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Les Houx
Mineral and austere with a good acidic backbone to its light body. Hints of lemon. Given the vintage and the producer, I’d hoped for more. Certified organic and biodynamic. DIAM 3 closure. 11.5% stated alcohol. 87(+)/B